Astrologia, magia e culto di Apuleio nella cultura di Mattia Corvino

Pajorin, Klára (2014) Astrologia, magia e culto di Apuleio nella cultura di Mattia Corvino. Acta Antiqua Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 54 (2-3). pp. 235-246. ISSN 0044-5975

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Abstract

As a first step towards the exposition of the contents and character of King Matthias’ natural scientific erudition and the exploration of the background and motives of the ruler’s literary patronage, we have investigated the king’s natural scientific and philosophical interest. Data from already well-known fields (astronomy and astrology, alchemy, magic), as well as evidence that has been neglected so far show that from among the studies on nature the king most intensely dealt with occult sciences, and this interest also dominated his scientific patronage, mainly his significant support of astronomy. It also influenced his affinity and commitment to Neoplatonism, the basis of which consisted of the knowledge of the teaching of Apuleius, who was well known and also honoured as a magician throughout the Middle Ages, and called by the epithet “platonicus” due to the corpus of his works. In his De vita dedicated to Matthias, offering much occult-hermetic knowledge, Marsilio Ficino adapted himself to this taste of the king. Before the making of Ficino’s translations and his Platonism, the works of Apuleius were one of the most important Platonic sources to the West and to Ficino himself; they cleared the ground for the reception of Plato’s works and of Greek Platonic-Hermetic philosophical writings.

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